Winter Guide to Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park

Winter Guide to Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park

Something I have wanted to do for years is see wolves in the wild in Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone is America’s first National Park, established in 1872 and known widely for its geothermal features. The boiling rivers and geysers like Old Faithful along with features like the Grand Prismatic Spring make it spectacular, but it’s also the best place to see wildlife in America.  When I got the chance to go, I started creating this winter guide to wildlife in Yellowstone and found out that winter is possibly best time of year to visit.

Winter is a time like no other in Yellowstone, where crowds are few and far between, giving you unfettered access to the winter landscapes of the Northern Range. To access the park starting in November, you will need to visit the Northwest entrance in Gardiner, Montana. The Northern Range of Yellowstone takes up just 10% of the park and skirts the border of Wyoming and Montana. This area is the only road access into the park for vehicles in winter and is the main hub for winter wildlife in the park as well.

If you want to see majestic elk, mule deer, bison, moose, wolves, and coyotes roaming Yellowstone National Park in winter, you need to know where to look! Don’t forget to follow the park’s rules and keep your distance from wildlife on your trip. Also, I’m including some affiliate links in this post. If you choose to make a purchase through them, it helps me earn a small commission at no cost to you. 

In recent years, I have fallen more and more in love with traveling in winter. After visiting the Arctic Circle of Norway, the snowy French Alps, and the beautiful winter landscapes of Banff, Canada, I realized that Montana was a state I had never been to in winter. That had to change! 

Yellowstone was actually one of my first ever national parks I visited as a child. I remember visiting in summer, seeing the endless stream of bison, getting caught in golf ball size hail in a freak summer storm, exploring the geysers and boiling pools, and being utterly amazed by nature.

Where to Find Wolves in Winter in Yellowstone

Wolves are most active at dawn and dusk, and my mission of the morning was to locate a pack before they bedded down in the snow for the day.

Our first stop was an overlook high above the valley floor, where I joined several other “wolf watchers” with scopes outstretched to try and spot some wolves in the distance. Learning from the onlookers there, the wolves had been down valley in view of this lookout the day before, but no one had yet to spot them this morning. Spirits high and eyes peeled, we hopped back in the car and soon heard over the radio a pack had been spotted near the Tower Junction Ranger Station.

The reports were correct and on arrival there were already several other people out with their scopes trying to get a glimpse of the Wapiti Pack.

There are around 8 packs of wolves in the park. The Wapiti Pack is one of the largest and on this day, I could spot 17 wolves in total. Taking a look through the scope was necessary as the wolves were about 400 yards from the roadside, lazily cleaning each other and relaxing after a meal of fresh elk.

This pack had several all-white wolves, a few white and grey, and some black and grey as well. The white ones that turned pink with their early morning breakfast stood out prominently in my scope. Nearby, the elk herd—which most likely provided their breakfast—seemed to stand unfazed just a few hundred meters away, grazing on the grass sticking out of the snow.

With temperatures in the single digits, it wasn’t too long before my toes became unbearably cold and I had to return to the vehicle. While my time with the wolves was short, my memory of seeing the Wapiti Pack will be with me forever.

Reintroducing Wolves to Yellowstone

In 1973, the USFWS listed the Northern Rocky Mountain wolf as an endangered species. This started a long process that eventually led to their reintroduction here in the park in 1995. During a three-year recovery period, 41 wild wolves from Canada and Northern Montana were released into the park. Today, there are an estimated 528 wolves in the greater Yellowstone area with around 100 inside the national park. Aroooo!

Wolves were just delisted federally from the endangered species at the end of 2020, and now their management will be kept completely up to states. Wolves are hunted in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming under state hunting regulations which have been in place since 2011 and 2017, respectfully. Sadly, as soon as wolves leave the Yellowstone park boundaries, they can be shot—and in some states, poisoned, tracked by helicopter, hunted in their dens, and killed by hunters for sport.

There is still much tension between ranchers and wolf lovers throughout the West. And while many people have a healthy fear of wolves, there has never been a wolf attack on a human in Yellowstone National Park.  As long as people remember to keep their distance and never feed wild animals, hopefully it will remain that way.

Wolf Size & Life Span

Life Span: In the park 4-5 years                                           Life Span Outside the park 2-3 Years (Humans are the leading cause of death outside the park) 

Less than 18% of wolves make it past 5 years old 

Average Size: 4-6 feet in length                                         Wolves communicate by howling 

Average Weight 90-120 pounds                                        Wolves Kill 18-22 Elk Per wolf per year 

Winter Guide to Wildlife in Yellowstone

Winter offers a wonderful landscape to spot animals in Yellowstone National Park, and you won’t have to go far to spot your first wildlife. Bison and elk are the most common animal to spot, and are frequently seen right in Gardiner, MT and the surrounding areas. Northern Yellowstone is actually home to the largest elk herd in the park. Since they love to stand near the roadways, it’s important to drive slowly through the park. Elk lose their antlers every year in spring and you can easily tell the age of a male by the size of his rack. The older they are the larger the set of antlers.

Winter Bison in Yellowstone

Bison once numbered in the millions in the Yellowstone area. In 1902, there were only about 24 bison left in Yellowstone—hunted almost to extinction by white hunters. Today, there are just over 4,700 bison in the park. They were a critical species to Native American populations that lived in the Yellowstone basin for some 11,000 years before white settlers.

Sadly, part of the big plan by the the U.S. Army to rid the West of Native Americans in the 1800s was to remove their food source, and a mass slaughtering of bison (and frankly, most other animals) ensued. Today, the Yellowstone bison herd is the largest and oldest herd in the U.S.

While thriving, the bison numbers are still controlled heavily through culling and hunting as to not grow too large. Bison and elk carry a disease called Brucellosis which can spread to livestock and cause still births or miscarriages. To reduce issues with ranchers, the park and state and federal agencies have kept bison in the park, culled males every year, and allowed others to be hunted to keep numbers in check. While you may find some bison outside the park, most of the surrounding states are not keen on them migrating out of the park, even though there has never been a case of livestock getting brucellosis from a bison. 

Members of seven federally-recognized tribes hunt bison in the annual cull to exercise their treaty rights. At Beattie Gulch, just outside the park border near Gardiner, hunters line up and wait for bison to cross the park border onto Forest Service land, where they can be shot.

While I was touring the park in winter, I also spotted a coyote, several Bighorn sheep, two moose, hawks, deer and many antelope. Yellowstone is also home to mountain lions, wolverines, grizzly bears (though hibernating in winter) mountain goats, foxes and many species of small mammal. For the best wildlife spotting, I recommend that you go with a guide, bring binoculars or a scope, and be patient.

You won’t want to leave Yellowstone without visiting the Mammoth Hot Pools! They are located right near the Visitors Center and Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. These are the most accessible geothermal features in the park in winter, made even more beautiful by the freezing steam that turns trees into ice sculptures.

To visit some of Yellowstone’s other geothermal features in winter, like the Grand Prismatic Spring and Yellowstone Lake, you will have to arrange a tour via snowmobile or via snowcoach. These rentals take place most often from the southern section of the park.

Getting to Yellowstone National Park in Winter

In winter, Yellowstone is only accessible to vehicles from its Northern entrances in Gardiner and Cooke City, MT. The Northwest entrance in Gardiner is the main gate for all vehicular traffic to the park, starting around November 1st through early to mid-March, depending on snow conditions.

To get Gardiner, fly or drive into Bozeman Montana. Direct flights are available from major hubs like Los Angeles, Seattle ,and Salt Lake City. I recommend renting a vehicle in Bozeman and driving the 78 miles to Gardiner. Search flight deals under $100 round-trip with Skyscanner!

For the best experience of Yellowstone in winter, I recommend staying 3 or 4 days so you can have as much time in the park as possible. I only had one full day in the park, so I set out before the sun rose to head into the park with my private guide from Yellowstone Dreamin Adventures. I was picked up at my front door with hot coffee awaiting me for the cold morning. Perfect!

Where to Stay in Yellowstone in Winter

If you’re following this winter guide to wildlife in Yellowstone, you’ll need somewhere to stay! You can generally stay in an Airbnb, the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, a campground, or other lodging options in Gardiner when you visit Yellowstone in winter. 

Airbnb

While in Gardiner, I stayed in a lovely 4-bedroom Airbnb that was just steps from the park entrance. If you are traveling as a family, pod, or small group, an Airbnb can be a great option.

Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel

The only hotel inside the park is the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. This hotel is about 15 minutes from the park entrance, right across from the Visitors Center and just steps from Mammoth Hot Springs. The hotel has simple but elegant rooms, and if you book early, you can get one of the hot tub rooms for a warm soak after the cold days in the park. The hotel has a restaurant, store, and views of some great sunsets over the park.

Camping

Winter camping is allowed in the backcountry at Yellowstone National Park in winter and at the Mammoth Campground. For backcountry camping, you do need to obtain a permit and you are required to camp at least 100 feet from water sources and out of sight of roads and trails. No fires are allowed, even in the backcountry in winter. Learn more on the park website.

Winter Guide to Wildlife Safety in Yellowstone

What’s a winter guide to wildlife in Yellowstone without safety tips? Wildlife are, after all, wild animals—you must treat them as such and give them a wide berth while you appreciate them in the park.

• Never approach any wildlife while in the park, and stay in your car if animals are in the roadway.
• All animals need to be respected and only observed from a safe distance.
• Get no closer to elk or other herbivores than 300 feet.
• If you see a bear or wolf, be sure to maintain at least 900 feet between you and the animal and do not turn your back.
• Bison should never be approached, petted, picked up, or antagonized. Bison are dangerous and will ram you if you get too close.
• Do not leave small children unattended in Yellowstone.
• Do not litter or leave food out. Pack out everything you bring in and leave no trace! 

Best Winter Activities in Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone offers many great winter activities, including and beyond wildlife watching. The most popular, outside touring the park, are cross country skiing and snowshoeing on some of the park’s wonderful hiking trails. But check out these activities while you’re exploring to make the most of your wintry stay!

Western Yellowstone Wolf & Grizzly Center

If you want to see grizzlies and wolves up close, you can visit a rescue center located in Western Yellowstone. This is a 3-hour drive from Gardiner, however, if you are driving to Jackson Hole or passing through the area, I really recommend going. The center saves problem wolves and bears from the park and surrounding areas. These animals would usually be euthanized for getting to close to people, so the center saves their lives, and offers a wonderful setting to see these animals up close.

Yellowstone Hot Springs 

Yellowstone Hot Springs is located 15 minutes north of downtown Gardiner and has 3 outdoor plunge pools in varying temperatures: hot, cold and in between. It is located in a beautiful setting on the river. You’ll find it open from 1-9pm Thursday through Sunday in the winter. Learn more here. 

Yellowstone Winter Guide Services & Tours

Getting a private or semi-private guide is a great way to see the park in winter and year-round. There are single and multi-day trips you can book with a variety of activities in the park. While there are many great guides in Yellowstone, I chose Yellowstone Dreamin Adventures for my private tour and was really pleased with the experience.

If you are looking for other options, there are plenty of multi day tours with companies like Natural Habitat Adventures, Intrepid Tours, G Adventures, and other local guiding services as well.

Gear Essentials for Winter in Yellowstone

To stay warm in the single digit temperatures in Montana, you need to wear layers and bring appropriate clothing. Here is a list of winter gear you will want for your trip.

• Wool socks or heated socks
• Smartwool or similar long underwear
• Insulated pant and/or snowpant
• Warm sweater or other mid layer long sleeve shirt
• Vest
• Heavy coat that is wind and waterproof
• Snow boot
• Mitten or glove
• Light glove for inside the vehicle or warmer afternoons
• Sunglasses
• Hat
• Hand and feet warmers

Wrapping Up the Winter Guide to Wildlife in Yellowstone

Wherever you decide to explore and however you decide to explore in Yellowstone are up to you. Winter is a magical time that you will never ever forget. I hope my winter guide to wildlife in Yellowstone helps you make the most of your upcoming visit! Please remember to travel responsibly, sustainably and most of all respectfully.

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